A few hours ago, in the pre-dawn quiet of St. Freya High School, Theresa Apocalypse was abruptly woken from a deep sleep by the firm shake of a hand on her shoulder.
"What is it, Hiko...?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep. She tried to pry her eyes open, but they felt impossibly heavy. "Don't think that just because you won't let sleep, I'll agree... Ah~ha... to install a swimming pool on the roof..."
Her head bobbed forward, then snapped back, a perfect imitation of a student dozing off in class.
Hiko's mouth twitched in exasperation. She suppressed a sigh and cut straight to the point, her tone leaving no room for argunt. "It's about Changkong City."
"What?" The ntion of the city was enough to slice through Theresa's drowsiness. "The Third Honkai Eruption... it's happened in Changkong City?"
In an instant, the sleepiness vanished, replaced by a sharp, cold anxiety that seized her completely. Her violet eyes were wide and alert. It had been just yesterday that Siegfried had called, asking her to help look after Kiana. She had been brainstorming excuses to bring the girl over to St. Freya within the next few days. How had it all gone so wrong, so fast?
Without another word, Theresa scrambled out of bed. She threw on her principal's uniform, her movents swift and precise, and hurried to her office. She hopped onto the specially heightened chair behind her large desk, her small fra looking almost lost in it, but her presence filled the room.
"What's the current situation?" she demanded, her frown deepening as she stared at the blurry, static-laced satellite data flickering on the main monitor.
"Changkong City is blanketed by a powerful electromagnetic field, blocking most of our sensors," Hiko reported, her voice grim. ", we've received intel from Schicksal Headquarters. Almost all the Descenders have been forcibly teleported from their locations. Based on fragnted reports from the few who weren't affected, it seems they've all been sent to Changkong City. Their objective is to assist Anti-Entropy in recovering the Herrscher of Thunder... or to kill her."
Theresa's knuckles turned white as she gripped the arms of her chair. "What about the numbers?" she asked, her voice tight.
"The estimated total," Hiko said, pausing for a fraction of a second, "might exceed six million."
"Six million?!" The number struck Theresa like a physical blow. Her anxiety flared into outright alarm. "No! Hiko, you must board the Hyperion imdiately! Get to Changkong City at maximum speed!"
"Understood." Hiko didn't waste a mont. She had already put the crew on alert and prepared the warship for launch before even waking the principal. She gave a sharp nod and turned to leave.
As Hiko's footsteps faded down the hall, Theresa stared at the chaotic image on the screen, her heart a cold knot of dread.
'Kiana,'she prayed,'you must not be hurt...'
...
Hours later, the mighty Hyperion cleaved through the clouds, arriving in the airspace above its destination. From the bridge, Hiko surveyed the scene below.
"We've arrived at Changkong City," she murmured to herself, her gaze sweeping over the panorama of destruction. "But... it seems to be over."
The city was a graveyard. Craters scarred the landscape where buildings once stood, and an unnatural silence hung over the ruins. There was no trace of the Herrscher of Thunder, nor were there any signs of the millions of Descenders who were supposed to be here. The city was utterly, eerily empty.
"Ai-chan, scan for any survivors nearby."
"No problem!" A lively voice chirped in response, and a cute, green, cabbage-like hologram materialized on a nearby console. "Ah! Due to severe electromagnetic interference, the life detection device has failed in this area... Hmm? Wait! Detecting four signs of life on the outermost edge of Changkong City!"
"Let's go check it out." Hiko imdiately took the controls, piloting the Hyperion toward the coordinates.
Soon, the scene on the ground ca into clear view. Three girls were huddled together, forming a protective ring around a boy who lay motionless at the center.
"Tsk." A sound of mild annoyance escaped Hiko's lips. "Damn kids," she muttered under her breath, though her expression remained professional. Her movents were already in motion.
"I'm going down to assess the situation. Ai-chan, maintain a hovering state."
"Yes, Major Hiko!" Ai-chan replied with a cheerful salute.
From a height of several hundred ters, Hiko stepped off the boarding ramp without so much as a parachute. She plumted toward the earth, the wind whipping past her. Just as she was about to hit the ground, the thrusters on her Valkyrie battlesuit flared to life, absorbing the montum and allowing her to touch down with a soft thud, standing perfectly steady.
"Soone is approaching!" Bronya was the first to react. Her eyes, cold and alert, locked onto the newcor. Project Bunny 19C materialized beside her, its cannon already humming and aid.
Kiana and i also rose to their feet, their bodies tense as they cautiously watched the woman who had just dropped from the sky. Though their strength had not fully returned, they instinctively positioned themselves in front of Rovel, shielding him from the potential threat.
When Kiana had first awoken, she found herself on the desolate outskirts of Changkong City. The legions of Descenders were gone, vanished as if they had never been. It was then she saw Rovel, who had finally succumbed to his monuntal exhaustion and collapsed into a deep, unmoving sleep.
Soon after, i and then Bronya slowly regained consciousness, their surprise turning to disbelief as they took in their surroundings. They couldn't begin to imagine what kind of impossible perseverance Rovel had relied on to carry them, one by one, through the ruined city to this place of relative safety.
It was only after Bronya activated Project Bunny's recording function that they learned the full truth of what had happened after they fell unconscious.
Watching the playback, i had hugged Rovel's still form, her heart aching with a deep mix of gratitude and guilt. If it weren't for her, for her loss of control, he would never have had to endure such an ordeal.
For Kiana and Bronya, seeing his unwavering dedication firsthand had solidified their trust in him, raising it to a new, unspoken level. If it weren't for Rovel, they knew with chilling certainty, they would have died back there.
Hiko walked forward, her boots crunching softly on the gravel, and stopped about twenty ters away from the wary trio. With a deliberate, non-threatening motion, she rested the tip of her massive greatsword on the ground.
"Nice to et you," she said, her voice calm and authoritative. "I am an A-Rank Valkyrie from Schicksal's Far East Branch, Murata Hiko."
Volu 1: End.
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